Claudia Snell's BlogMy blog.2024-02-02T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/claudia snellclaudia@claudiasnell.com2024-02-02T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2024-02-01/february-2024-movie-watching/<p>Here's the list of movies I've watched in February, 2024 in reverse chronological order.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-marvels/">The Marvels</a>, 2023. Directed by Nia DaCosta.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/spider/">Spider</a>, 2002. Directed by David Cronenberg.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/moonlight-2016/">Moonlight</a>, 2016. Directed by Barry Jenkins.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/moonrise-kingdom/">Moonrise Kingdom</a>, 2012. Directed by Wes Anderson.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/midsommar/">Midsommar</a>, 2019. Directed by Ari Aster.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-bride-of-frankenstein/">The Bride of Frankenstein</a>, 1935. Directed by James Whale.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/get-out-2017/">Get Out</a>, 2017. Directed by Jordan Peele.</li>
</ul>
2024-01-24T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2024-01-23/january-2024-movie-watching/<p>Here's a list of the films I watched in January, 2024.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/they-live/">They Live</a>, 1988. Directed by John Carpenter</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-worst-ones/">The Worst Ones</a>, 2022. Directed by Lise Akoka, Romane Gueret</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/tommy-guns/">Tommy Guns</a>, 2022. Directed by Carlos Conceição.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/la-civil/">La Civil</a>, 2021. Directed by Teodora Ana Mihai</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/cinema-sabaya/">Cinema Sabaya</a>, 2021. Directed by Orit Fouks Rotem</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/final-cut-2022/">Final Cut</a>,2022. Directed by Michel Hazanavicius</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/barbie/">Barbie</a>, 2023. Directed by Greta Gerwig Here are some of the films we've watched recently:</p>
</li>
</ul>
2024-01-23T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2024-01-22/eleventy/<h2>A "WIP post"?</h2>
<p>This post is a work in progress. I'll be updating it when I find new helpful things.</p>
<h2>About this list</h2>
<p>I've been meaning to put together a post about Eleventy so that I can quickly share the resources I have found useful when I'm learning about and building Eleventy sites.</p>
<h2>Where to start</h2>
<p>Documentation, hosting, deployment and Nunjucks, my preferred templating language.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.11ty.dev/docs/">Official 11ty documentation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://docs.netlify.com/integrations/frameworks/eleventy/">Netlify - Eleventy Documentation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/">GitHub</a></li>
<li><a href="https://mozilla.github.io/nunjucks/templating.html">Nunjucks</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.markdownguide.org/">Markdown Guide</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Resources</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://11ty.rocks/">11ty Rocks</a> and <a href="https://smolcss.dev/">SmolCSS</a> by <a href="https://thinkdobecreate.com/">Stephanie Eckles</a></li>
<li><a href="https://benmyers.dev/blog/eleventy-data-cascade/">I Finally Understand Eleventy's Data Cascade</a> and <a href="https://benmyers.dev/blog/eleventy-blogroll/">Build a Blogroll</a> by <a href="https://benmyers.dev/">Ben Myers</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://localghost.dev/blog/automated-weekly-links-posts-with-raindrop-io-and-eleventy/">Build automated weekly links posts with raindrop.io and 11ty</a> by Sophie Koonin.</li>
<li><a href="https://piccalil.li/blog/low-tech-eleventy-categories/">Low-tech Eleventy Categories</a> by Andy Bell</li>
</ul>
<h2>Nice starter themes & projects</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://hylia.website/">Hylia</a> by Andy Bell</li>
<li><a href="https://github.com/5t3ph/11ty-sass-skeleton">11ty Sass Skeleton</a> - also by Stephanie Eckles.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Design stuff</h2>
<p>These aren't really 'Eleventy' things. They're useful for any website project.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://set.studio/some-simple-ways-to-make-content-look-good/">Some simple ways to make content look good</a> by <a href="https://andy-bell.co.uk/">Andy Bell</a></li>
<li><a href="https://buildexcellentwebsit.es/">Be the browser’s mentor, not its micromanager.</a> by Andy Bell</li>
<li><a href="https://every-layout.dev/">Every Layout</a> by Andy Bell and <a href="https://heydonworks.com/">Heydon Pickering</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://utopia.fyi/">Utopia</a> by James Gilyead & Trys Mudford</li>
<li><a href="https://css-tricks.com/snippets/css/a-guide-to-flexbox/">CSS Flexbox</a> and <a href="https://css-tricks.com/snippets/css/complete-guide-grid/">CSS Grid</a> cheatsheets by Chris Coyier and Chris House on <a href="https://css-tricks.com/">CSS Tricks</a></li>
</ul>
<h2>Older Resources</h2>
<p>I used <a href="https://learneleventyfromscratch.com/">Learn Eleventy From Scratch</a> some years ago and it was excellent. It's out of date now but still has some good information. Check out Andy Bell's post about the <a href="https://andy-bell.co.uk/learn-eleventy-from-scratch-could-really-do-with-an-update/">status of Learn Eleventy From Scratch</a> before looking at the course.</p>
2024-01-09T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2024-01-08/music-to-work-by-v1.0/<p>Sometimes you need a little music to get into the right mood for a launch. This last week was one of those times.</p>
<p>My colleague's choice of music was 'Today Is The Day!' by Yo La Tengo.</p>
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<p>My 'launch day' music was ridiculous. 'Guardians Inferno' by the Sneepers and featuring David Hasslehoff.</p>
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2024-01-02T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2024-01-01/new-year-no-resolutions/<p>It's that time of year when a lot of people make resolutions and goals. I didn't and I don't.</p>
<p>I know I did in the past but, like so many others, I would have some big goals and by February I was over it. Then I would feel awful and beat myself up. So I stopped setting goals and resolutions based on New Year's Day.</p>
<p>What I have been doing for the past few years is making goals whenever it makes sense to do so. I don't tie it to a date or a day of the week. That helps take the pressure off. Setting a new goal doesn't feel like a huge EPIC thing that defines a whole year. It's just a thing I want to work on.</p>
<p>The other thing I've been working on is adjusting my expectations, being more realistic, and focusing on making small, incremental changes for the better. No more drastic changes that inevitably don't stick. I work on small and manageable shifts that, over time, become new habits.</p>
<p>I know this doesn't sound exciting and may seem like I lack drive (or whatever). It's the opposite - I want to really make changes that I can sustain. The most important thing to support that is I don't feel tremendous pressure or guilt. As long as I do a little better each day, I've done good.</p>
<p>I have several goals on my list. I've been working on some for awhile. For others, I'll be starting work soon. I'm feeling good about my progress and am looking forward to what comes next.</p>
2023-11-20T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-11-19/happy-first-adoption-anniversary-to-bertie/<div class="grid">
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-5november2022.jpg" alt="Small white kitten sitting in a cat-loaf position in a bathroom sink." title="Bertie in a sink" /></p>
<div class="sp2-col">
We adopted Bertie from the Enfield Community Cat Project in Connecticut one year ago today. He and two of his brothers had been rescued from a colony of feral cats in Hartford, Ct.
<p>This is the photo that was posted on the ECCP Facebook page that made us fall in love with this little guy.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="grid">
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-20november2022.jpg" alt="Bertie hiding in a cat tube inside a mesh pet playpen." title="Bertie's first night with us." /></p>
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-24november2022.jpg" alt="Bertie laying in a cat tree and holding a play mouse. He's looking attentive." title="Bertie in foster at the rescue" /></p>
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-22november2022.jpg" alt="Bertie sitting on our stairs and looking out between the banister poles." title="Bertie in foster at the rescue" /></p>
</div>
<p>When I brought him home, we initially had him in a playpen so that he could get used to being here but also have some personal space away from our other cats. It didn't last long.</p>
<p>Our adult cats were extremely upset that the new baby was 'trapped' and they immediately went to work trying to free him. Bertie was very interested in meeting the cats too so he ended up not needing the playpen for long.</p>
<div class="grid">
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-22april2023.jpg" alt="Raimi, a large black cat, cuddling with Bertie in a box." title="Bertie in foster at the rescue" /></p>
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-18january2023.jpg" alt="Andrei, a tuxedo cat, grooming Bertie's head." title="Bertie in foster at the rescue" /></p>
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-1may2023.jpg" alt="Anakin and Bertie cuddling in a cat bed together." title="Bertie in foster at the rescue" /></p>
</div>
<p>Bertie has three 'mannies' - Andrei, Raimi, and Anakin. They've all taken on the role of parent to Bertie. Even though Betrie isn't a kitten anymore, they still treat him like he's their baby. Bertie loves the attention.</p>
<div class="grid">
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-21september2023.jpg" alt="Bertie sitting inches away from a large television, watching a video of a butterfly." title="Bertie in foster at the rescue" /></p>
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-11aug2023.jpg" alt="Bertie sniffing a single cherry tomato in a white bowl." title="Bertie in foster at the rescue" /></p>
<p><img src="https://claudiasnell.dev/images/blog/bertie-first-year/bertie-18november2023.jpg" alt="Bertie, all grown up, laying in a cat tree, looking stratight at the camera. He's relaxed and happy." title="Bertie in foster at the rescue" /></p>
</div>
<p>He's settled into being a spoiled house cat very well. We all love him very much and we're looking forward to spoiling him for the rest of his life.</p>
2023-11-16T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-11-15/iykyk-luscious-jackson:-nervous-breakthrough/<p>The song for today is Luscious Jackson, Nervous Breakthrough. IYKYK.</p>
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</div>2023-11-13T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-11-12/ten-films/<p>I was invited to play the "10films" game by a friend, <a href="https://a11y.info/@macindahaus@notacult.social">@macindahaus</a> on Mastodon and I failed entirely. I was supposed to post a frame from a film that impacted me each day for ten days. I was also supposed to not explain or identify the films. Lastly, I was supposed to tag others to play along.</p>
<p>I did none of those things but decided I wanted to play my own way. I have assembled my list of films that have impacted me and I'm sharing them here.</p>
<p>In no particular order:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/stalker/">Stalker</a> 1979. Directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/harold-and-maude/">Harold and Maude</a> 1971. Directed by: Hal Ashby.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/ikiru/">Ikiru</a> 1952. Directed by: Akira Kurosawa.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/persona/">Persona</a> 1966. Directed by: Ingmar Bergman.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/wings-of-desire/">Wings of Desire</a> 1987. Directed by: Wim Wenders.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/blade-runner/">Blade Runner</a> 1982. Directed by: Ridley Scott.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/2001-a-space-odyssey/">2001: A Space Odyssey</a> 1968. Directed by: Stanley Kubrick.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/house/">House</a> 1977. Directed by: Nobuhiko Obayashi.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-city-of-lost-children/">City of Lost Children</a> 1995. Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/mad-max-fury-road/">Mad Max, Fury Road</a> 2015. Directed by: George Miller.</li>
</ul>
<p>I've got a longer <a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/my-favorites/">list of favorites</a> posted on Letterboxd.</p>
2023-11-13T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-11-12/itchy-o/<p>This is one of the awesome bands we've found through <a href="https://alternativetentacles.com/">Alternative Tentacles</a>.</p>
<p>We got a copy of <a href="https://alternativetentacles.com/products/v467-itchy-o-burn_the_navigator">Burn the Navigator</a> and I love it. It's also <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/0NCYjajlpG1UeivXynj9dS?si=jJuJqY7XSkWvc22u7KGVxA">on Spotify</a> if you'd like to check it out.</p>
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2023-10-18T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-10-17/the-good.-the-bad.-the-potential./<h2>Extended Update.</h2>
<p><s>I finished work on my custom theme for my photography blog and also re-launched a very minimal version of <a href="https://claudiasnell.com/">my 'not nonsense' site</a>. I'm working on re-launching my photography blog.</s> NOPE. (Is this where I yell 'pivot' and pretend this is what I intended all along?)</p>
<h3>Good News</h3>
<p>The good news is that I haven't invested a lot of time in my "serious" site in, well... years, actually. (Long story. I should blog about it at some point). The other good news is that I wasn't that far into rebuilding my photography hobby blog.</p>
<h3>Bad News</h3>
<p>The bad news is my web host has had a series of big issues lately and I'm going to have to move my sites. Now. I had planned to do this later but they've moved the timeline up.</p>
<h3>The Potential</h3>
<p>I'm also rethinking whether my hobby site needs to be WordPress at all. More on that later but I'm leaning toward using it as a project to learn a new thing.</p>
2023-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-09-30/october-2023-movie-watching/<p>It's that time of year again. It's Halloween month and that means lots of horror movies. I'll be updating this list as we go. I've also posted my <a href="https://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-09-16/october-2022-movie-watching/">2022 list</a> if you're intereted.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Horror has a wide range. It can be scary, creepy, funny, and more. Some of my favorites are ones that give me a sense of dread. <cite>-- Skip Shea, Filmmaker</cite></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Before I get to my list, I have a couple of recommendations. Skip Shea's films,<a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5544722/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_12_prd"> Trinity</a> and <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10003994/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_5_prd">Seeds</a> are excellent indie films to add to your Horror movie watch list.</p>
<h2>The list of movies</h2>
<p>In order of watching.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.rifftrax.com/the-brain-that-wouldnt-die">The Brain That Wouldn't Die / Rifftrax</a>, 1962. Directed by Joseph Green. Riffed by Bridget Nelson & Mary Jo Pehl</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/re-animator/">Re-Animator</a>, 1985. Directed by Stuart Gordon.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/faust/">Faust</a>, 1994. Directed by Jan Švankmajer.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-lost-boys/">The Lost Boys</a>, 1987. Directed by Joel Schumacher.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/young-frankenstein/">Young Frankenstein</a>, 1974. Directed by Mel Brooks.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/brutal-massacre-a-comedy/">Brutal Massacre: A Comedy</a>, 2008. Directed by Stevan Mena.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/arsenic-and-old-lace/">Arsenic and Old Lace</a>, 1944. Directed by Frank Capra.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/silver-bullet/">Stephen King's Silver Bullet</a>, 1985. Directed by Daniel Attias.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/prom-night/">Prom Night</a>, 1980. Directed by Paul Lynch.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/wallace-gromit-the-curse-of-the-were-rabbit/">Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit</a>, 2005. Directed by Nick Park, Steve Box.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/blade/">Blade</a>, 1998. Directed by Stephen Norrington.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/it-2017/">It</a>, 2017. Directed by Andy Muschietti.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/it-chapter-two/">It, Chapter Two</a>, 2019. Directed by Andy Muschietti.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-addiction/">The Addiction</a>, 1995. Directed by Abel Ferrara.</li>
<li><a href="https://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-09-30/october-2023-movie-watching/">The Ninth Gate</a>, 1999. Directed by Roman Polanski.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/">The Nightmare Before Christmas</a>, 1993. Directed by Henry Selick.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-tingler/">The Tingler</a>, 1959. Directed by William Castle.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-lost-skeleton-of-cadavra/">The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra</a>, 2001. Directed by Larry Blamire.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-shining/">The Shining</a>, 1980. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/patrick/">Patrick</a>, 1978. Directed by Richard Franklin.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/doctor-sleep/">Doctor Sleep</a>, 2019. Directed by Mike Flanagan.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/invasion-of-the-body-snatchers-1978/">Invasion of the Body Snatchers</a>, 1978. Directed by Philip Kaufman.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/twin-peaks-fire-walk-with-me/">Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me</a>, 1992. Directed by David Lynch.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/carnival-of-souls/">Carnival of Souls</a>, 1962. Directed by Herk Harvey.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/constantine/">Constantine</a>, 2005. Directed by Francis Lawrence.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/dracula-1958/">Dracula / Horror of Dracula</a>, 1958. Directed by Terence Fisher.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/altered-states/">Altered States</a>, 1980. Directed by Ken Russell.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-brood/">The Brood</a>, 1979. Directed by David Cronenberg.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/scanners/">Scanners</a>, 1981. Directed by David Cronenberg.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/bubba-ho-tep/">Bubba Ho-tep</a>, 2002. Directed by Don Coscarelli.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/little-shop-of-horrors/">Little Shop of Horrors</a>, 1986. Directed by Frank Oz.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/dark-shadows/">Dark Shadows</a>, 2012. Directed by Tim Burton.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/toby-dammit/">Toby Dammit</a>, 1968. Directed by Federico Fellini.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/a-girl-walks-home-alone-at-night/">A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night</a>, 2014. Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1501344/">Cinematic Titanic: Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks</a>, 2008. Directed by Tim Ford. Riffed by Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Joel Hodgson, Mary Jo Pehl, J. Elvis Weinstein.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/friday-the-13th/">Friday the 13th</a>, 1980. Directed by Sean S. Cunningham.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-exorcist/">The Exorcist</a>, 1973. Directed by William Friedkin.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/poltergeist/">Poltergeist</a>, 1982. Directed by Tobe Hooper.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/satan-2006/">Sheitan</a>, 2006. Directed by Directed by Kim Chapiron.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/peeping-tom/">Peeping Tom</a>, 1960. Directed by Michael Powell.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/lisa-and-the-devil/">Lisa e il diavolo</a>, 1973. Directed by Mario Bava.</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/carrie-1976/">Carrie</a>, 1976. Directed by Brian De Palma.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Not a movie</h2>
<p>Non-movie Halloween things I've watched this month.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4549942/">X-Files / Mulder and Scully Meet the Were-Monster</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/werewolf-by-night/J1sCDfT3MaDl">Marvel's Werewolf By Night</a>, 2022. Directed by Michael Giacchino.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060550/">It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown</a>, 1966. Directed by Bill Melendez.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0508132/">Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Banquo's Chair</a>, 1959. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0752259/">The Young Ones, S2.E3: Nasty</a>, 1984. Directed by Paul Jackson.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0516915/">The Avengers: The House That Jack Built</a>, 1966. Directed by Don Leaver.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012255/">Buster Keaton in The Haunted House</a>, 1921. Directed by Edward F. Cline adn Buster Keaton.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108906/">The Kingdom, S1</a>, 1994. Directed by Lars von Trier and Morten Arnfred.</li>
</ul>
<h2>My Halloween-themed lists on Letterboxd</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/vampires/">Vampires!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/for-october/">For October</a></li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/something-scary-for-halloween/">Something Scary for Halloween</a></li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/stephen-king-read-watched/">Steven King watched / read</a>. These are movies I've seen that are based on Steven King books that I have also read.</li>
</ul>
2023-09-26T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-09-25/zhaif-4-laif/<p>Another day online and another discussion of how we should pronounce GIF.</p>
<p><a href="https://benmyers.dev/">Ben Meyers</a> shared this video that I think answers the question once and for all. After watching and giving it as much thought as I should, I am going to adopt "Zhaif" as the way I say it.</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bmqy-Sp0txY?si=e_V8vScFKlwyAlDe" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p>If you'd like to weigh in on some of the most important questions of our time, check out <a href="https://neal.fun/lets-settle-this/">Let's Settle This</a>. Thanks to <a href="https://ryantrimble.com/">Ryan Trimble</a> for sharing it.</p>
2023-09-26T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-09-25/the-bad-hats:-shame/<p>A colleague shared this video with me after I made a comment about no one being happier than a woman smiling at a salad.</p>
<p>Yes, it's old, but I hadn't seen it and it made me smile so I'm sharing it here so you can smile too.</p>
<div class="video-containment">
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OSFy2sUKSQ4?si=RVwwwcBL_LO7FSwK" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</div>2023-09-17T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-09-16/october-2022-movie-watching/<p>October means a whole month of horror movies here. This list is from 2022 and was originally published in November 2022.</p>
<h2>My favorites</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/only-lovers-left-alive/">Only Lovers Left Alive</a>, Jim Jarmusch, 2013</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/let-the-right-one-in/">Let the Right One In</a>, Tomas Alfredson, 2008</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-shining/">The Shining</a>, Stanley Kubrick, 1980</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/house/">House</a>, Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-hunger/">The Hunger</a>, Tony Scott, 1983</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-dead-zone/">The Dead Zone</a>, David Cronenberg, 1983</li>
</ul>
<h2>Other fun stuff to see</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/spider-baby/">Spider Baby</a>, Jack Hill, 1967</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-fog/">The Fog</a>, John Carpenter, 1980</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/creepshow/">Creepshow</a>, George A. Romero, 1982</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/carrie-1976/">Carrie</a>, Brian De Palma, 1976</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-blob/">The Blob</a>, Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr, 1958</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/phantom-of-the-opera/">Phantom of the Opera</a>, Arthur Lubin, 1943</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/beetlejuice/">Beetlejuice</a>, Tim Burton, 1988</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-return-of-the-living-dead/">Return of the Living Dead</a>, Dan O'Bannon, 1985</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/phantasm/">Phantasm</a>, Don Coscarelli</li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/scanners/">Scanners</a>, David Cronenberg, 1981</li>
</ul>
<p>And of course we watched <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-exorcist/">The Exorcist</a> (William Friedkin, 1973), and <a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/the-omen/">The Omen</a>, Richard Donner, 1976.</p>
<h2>My Halloween-themed lists on Letterboxd</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/vampires/">Vampires!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/for-october/">For October</a></li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/something-scary-for-halloween/">Something Scary for Halloween</a></li>
<li><a href="https://letterboxd.com/claudiasnell/list/stephen-king-read-watched/">Steven King watched / read</a>. These are movies I've seen that are based on Steven King books that I have also read.</li>
</ul>
2023-09-08T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-09-07/cats-of-tech-website/<p>I'm loving the newly launched <a href="https://catsof.tech/">catsof.tech</a> website by <a href="https://maciejpedzi.ch/">Maciej Pędzich</a>, a front-end developer and cat-lover that I know from the <a href="https://frontend.horse/">Frontend Horse</a> Discord community.</p>
<p>I submitted photos of my boys, Kubrick and Raimi, to the site. There's a submission form on the site if you have a cat that you'd like included.</p>
2023-09-07T00:00:00Zhttps://claudiasnell.dev/blog/2023-09-06/a-short-post-about-my-friend-molly/<p>The first thing I saw on the Internet when I woke up yesterday was that <a href="https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/090523_molly_holzschlag/tucsons-molly-holzschlag-known-as-the-fairy-godmother-web-dead-60/">Molly Holzschlag had died</a>.</p>
<p>Eric Meyer wrote a beautiful post about his memories of her. You can read it on his blog: <a href="https://meyerweb.com/eric/thoughts/2023/09/06/memories-of-molly/">Memories of Molly</a>.</p>
<p>At the end of his post he wrote:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>if you have treasured memories of Molly, I’d love to hear them in the comments below, or on your own blog or social media or podcasts or anywhere. She loved stories. Tell hers. <cite>-- Eric Meyer</cite></p>
</blockquote>
<p>So here it goes...</p>
<p>Like many web designers who started making things way back, I first became aware of Molly through her books and her work with projects like <a href="https://www.webstandards.org/">Web Standards Project (WaSP)</a>. I was a fan. I never thought I'd ever meet her or speak to her.</p>
<p>And then Twitter happened and that's where we became online friends. I'm pretty sure it was initially because of our shared appreciation for our orange cats.</p>
<p>Over the years, We exchanged comments on each other's posts, had a couple of random Zoom chats and ongoing conversations in DM. She was very supportive of me and I will always appreciate that.</p>
<h2>My Only In-Person Molly Story</h2>
<p>This was at least 10 years ago so I've forgotten some details. What I remember is that Molly was in Boston for a business trip and she invited Sarah Bourne, Char James-Tanny, (both of whom I had not met before) and I to visit her for lunch at her hotel.</p>
<p>As I remember, we decided to hang out in Molly's suite and talk for a while and then go to a restaurant for lunch. Once we were into some conversation, we decided it'd be better to stay there get room service instead.</p>
<p>We all ordered cheese sandwiches with fries. It seemed a reasonable choice. What they brought us were the largest, fanciest, most over-the-top cheese sandwiches that have ever been created. Ever.</p>
<p>Hilarity ensued as we tried to deal with these epic cheese sandwiches. They were as delicious as they were massive. Something about truffle oil, I think? That might have been the fries. Whatever was going on, it was really good. And those sandwiches were comically large. And we laughed a lot.</p>
<p>That day the four of us talked about everything - life, work, and the whole universe. My memory of it, aside from the aforementioned ridiculous food, was really appreciating that moment I shared with three amazing humans and the friendships that came of it.</p>
<p>That's it. That was the only time I saw Molly Holzschlag in person. We did continue to be online friends and often joked about those sandwiches.</p>
<p>Farewell, Mols. You will be missed.</p>